Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water
by Scientist of Gryffindor
Summary: Malik's whole life is turned upside down after a chance meeting of a breather in a darkened library, as they fight to turn Malik's so far cursed life into something less full of death. This story is now complete :)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi this is my first ever fanfic so I hope you enjoy. I don't know if anyone reads Young Dracula fanfics anymore but if anyone does then i hope you like this one.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula or the briefly mentioned Harry Potter books, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line. Thanks.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 1

Except for the lone person creeping through the wooden double doors, the school's library was dark and deserted as it should be at this time of night. Jess knew she wasn't supposed to be in the library after hours but it was the only time she got to herself; plus it helped that she could pick the old locks on the doors. As she walked through the shelves full of books that were stood in lines as if they were rows of real trees; they provided an eerie yet relaxing atmosphere that could be found nowhere else in the bustling secondary school.

Jess jumped onto the window sill and brought her knees up to her chest. She rested the book she was reading against her knees then switched on her head torch. She found her bookmark and opened the page of her _Harry Potter_ book; she was gradually working her way through the series. She found that reading about fantasy worlds was the only thing that kept her sane in this weird old boarding school.

After her parents had disappeared a year ago from their house while Jess had been at a friend's, she had been taken into foster care for her protection. Her parent's bodies had been found a week later drained of blood and a murder inquiry had been set up. This had meant she was forced to move out of the area and leave all she knew behind her including her oldest friends so whoever had taken her parents had less chance of getting to her too. She supposed this was partly why she liked _Harry Potter_ as he had no parents either so it was easier to relate to his character.

Unfortunately, her new life wasn't nearly as exciting as his. Her new foster parents had little time for her as they usually took in younger children not emergencies like Jess. Therefore the house was full of little screaming kids all wanting attention. In the end Jess got fed up and asked to be transferred to the boarding school she was currently at so she could get away from her manic life at what was now her home. It also gave her the freedom to do what she wanted for a change; for example sneaking into the school library to read after dark.

Jess started as she heard a muffled thud that sounded strangely like a heavy cat falling off a fence. She looked at her watch which read 22:10; she should be in bed. Before she got up to move Jess thought she could see a shadowy figure at the end of the closest bookshelf. _Oh great, better not be a teacher._ But as the shape moved closer she realised it was in fact a tall teenage boy clad in a studded leather jacket, black jeans and Doc Martins.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked in a deep voice.

"I could ask you the same question" Jess snapped defensively.

Suddenly a broad grin spread across the boy's face, making his dark brown eyes glint. He jumped up onto the darkened window sill next to Jess and snatched up her book. He flipped the cover over and flicked rapidly through the pages.

"Not bad but it has a happy ending and I hate happy endings" he spat out sharply and threw the book on the floor.

"Sorry but whom are you?" said Jess, slightly annoyed at him for throwing her book.

"It's really none of your concern" he said as he jumped back down and stood in front of her.

"I was only asking" she replied and jumped down too. "I'm Jess by the way"

"Well then Jess, my name's Malik and I'm feeling pretty thirsty". Without warning Malik opened his mouth wide revealing a set of long pointed fangs and leaned forward so his face was close to her neck.

"Malik STOP!" shouted a voice without a body. Seconds later another teenage boy appeared out of the dark. He had jet black hair and was at least a foot shorter than Malik who snarled and turned round to face the stranger.

"What do you want Vlad?" he shouted, "Can't you see I'm busy".

"Yeah, busy biting innocent breathers again". Vlad walked over to stand between Malik and Jess.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, "sorry about my brother".

"Fine, thanks" Jess breathed slowly.

"Good, now I want you to look into my eyes and you will forget that you ever came here tonight and you definitely did not meet either of us two". Vlad's eyes flashed yellow and Jess slumped onto the floor asleep.

Malik snorted "Spoil sport".

"Oh grow up and STAY AWAY FROM BREATHERS" Vlad's voice rumbled like thunder while Malik only rolled his eyes.

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 **Author's Note: This chapter is sort an introduction to my OC Jess so will be more action in the next chapter. I will try to update every week, but it will depend on demand. Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 2

A few nights later Jess was walking back to her dormitory after spending a couple of hours of researching homework in the computer suite. By now she was used to walking through the corridors in the dark by herself due to her late night reading trips. The school buildings looked like a ghost town in the evening with the boarded students staying over in a separate part of the school. So Jess was surprised when she could hear two voices coming from an empty classroom. Her curiosity getting the better of her she walked over and pressed her ear to the door.

"This tastes delicious" said a girl's voice.

"Should do it's a vintage, I stole it this morning from Dad's cellar" replied a deep male voice.

"Cheers brother". Jess heard the unmistakable clink of wine glasses and cautiously pushed the door open curious to know what was going on.

A gothic looking girl probably older than Jess was sat facing her, with thick black hair and a heavily made-up face; she did not look amused at Jess's sudden appearance. Sat opposite the girl with his back to Jess was a tall boy with messy brown hair and a studded leather jacket. The boy turned around to see what his sister was staring at. He wiped his hand across his mouth to wipe the dark red liquid off, the same liquid he was holding in a wine glass. His stormy brown eyes looked at Jess in shock as he realised who he was looking at.

"My dream was real!" Jess screamed. "You're the – the boy from the other night– the vampire!"

Jess's eyes widened as she took in the face of the boy she remembered was called Malik. She turned round sharpish and ran out the door, she could hear Malik shout behind her but she didn't stop. Jess ran as fast as she could back down the corridor as she remembered clearly what had happened three nights ago. This boy had tried to kill her.

Suddenly, Malik appeared in front of her barely out of breath. Jess started to back away but Malik caught her arm. She flinched as his cold hand touched her arm, she was sure he could detect her racing pulse in her wrist as she tried not to show how scared she really was.

"Just calm down and don't scream" he instructed, dropping her arm. Jess took a few deep breaths to steady her breathing still feeling scared but also intrigued at the thought of meeting a real life vampire she'd only read about in books.

"Who are you Malik?" she asked boldly. Malik thought for a minute before replying.

"Look like I said before I am none of your concern, just forget what you saw and get the hell out-" but Jess cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"Don't give me that excuse, I know you are a vampire, I just saw you drinking blood" Jess interrupted. That was the wrong thing to say.

Once again Malik was bearing his fangs as he leaned closer towards her, ready to bite. Jess shivered as he stepped closer desperately trying to think of a way to escape. Suddenly a random idea popped into her head. A stupid idea yes, but it might just distract him. Quickly Jess grabbed Malik's jacket collar and pulled his head away from her neck to plant a quick kiss on his lips. As she expected it had the desired effect, he shrank back immediately spitting and wiping his mouth.

"What did you do that for, filthy breather?" Malik glared at Jess.

"I panicked; you were going to bite me, again!"

"So you, you did _that_?" Malik shuddered.

Jess sighed in relief that her plan had worked even if she had now annoyed a vampire. However, instead of trying to hurt her, said vampire was just stood staring curiously at Jess who was now slumped against the wall.

"You weren't scared of me were you?" Malik stated. "I could feel it".

"What?" Jess's head snapped up, _what did he mean that he could feel it?_

Malik shook his head looking confused. He replayed the last few moments in his head trying to figure out why he now knew that Jess was a student in foster care who had recently moved here after her parents were shockingly murdered. _How the hell do I know all that?_

"I think you should come with me" Malik said quietly. Jess stared at him closely.

"Why should I do that, I don't know you or trust you? You just tried to kill me twice."

"Well you try explaining why I now know exactly who you are Jess Walker; that you have no parents or friends for that matter" Malik explained. Jess stiffened at Malik's words.

"Stop it please, how are you doing that!"

"I don't know! I'm not telepathic yet. Something very wrong is happening".

Before Jess had time to argue Malik had grabbed her arm again and sped off at breakneck speed.

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 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading, hope you're still enjoying it! Any reviews welcome so I know what to improve or add to make it better. Anyway, thanks again for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: A big change is in store for Malik and Jess in this chapter, but how will they cope with it. Also thanks to anyone who has read and reviewed; its very helpful and good to hear your thoughts!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 3

They had been sat in the dusty library for hours now, it had to be nearly midnight and Jess was getting annoyed. After Malik had transported them both to what he had explained was the library in his father's part of the school, he had done nothing but pace back and forth restlessly. Occasionally he would pick up a book, scan it then throw it away. Jess had had enough of his silence.

"What are we doing here Malik?" she questioned.

Malik sighed and stopped pacing to look at Jess.

"Let's get some things straight. Yes I am a vampire and yes I hate breathers. I don't make a habit of talking to them unless I'm about to kill them. Got it?" Jess nodded slowly.

"But this time something's different. Like I said before I am not telepathic yet but suddenly I know everything about your life and we've only just met. I think that when you - when you kissed me, some sort of connection was made that let me see into your mind." Malik paused so Jess took the opportunity to talk.

"So what you're saying is that for some unknown reason there is now some unexplained connection between your mind and my own. But how come I don't know anything about you, does it only work one way?" Jess questioned. A mischievous smile spread across Malik's face.

"Let's find out"

He walked towards a draw in a cabinet and rummaged around until he pulled out a thin metal tube. He clicked the end and a beam of UV light shot out. He moved it slowly towards the back of his hand until it was nearly touching it. He glanced at Jess with a look that said _brace yourself._ Then he shone the beam directly on his hand. Malik's skin began to steam as it burned; his face in a pained grimace. Jess started to feel a tingling sensation in her hand that grew into a sharp burst of pain.

"Ouch!" she said rubbing her hand. Malik turned the torch off and the pain immediately went away. Jess stared at her hand but there was no red mark like there was on Malik's. She looked over at Malik with fearful eyes and was shocked to find something like fear swimming in his as well.

It took a lot of persuasion from Jess to get Malik to seek help from his family. She got the impression he didn't like them much because when she first suggested it his whole body had tensed and he had punched the wall in frustration. In the end she got him to see reason that they were out of their depth and needed someone else's help.

He led her out of the library into the rest of his home. They ended up in an impressive looking dining room where Malik had left her to find his family. One wall had a fireplace in the centre and was covered half way up in decorated wooden panels but the rest of the room was covered in faded red wallpaper. The only light came from flickering candles that illuminated a high backed throne at one end; all the windows were blocked by heavy black curtains that swept to the floor. Jess was beginning to feel nervous at being left alone. After about ten minutes Malik returned with Vlad and an older vampire that looked like an old-style rock star.

"Oh not another breather in here" groaned the older vampire. "Trust Malik to get into trouble" he rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Hey Jess, you might not remember me from the other night but I'm Vlad, Malik's half-brother. He's told me about what happened earlier" Vlad said, "Oh by the way this is our Dad, the 'legendary' Count Dracula". The Count flashed his fangs but the effect was spoilt by Malik calling him a rather rude name under his breath that made Jess smile a bit.

"Anyway, I think I know what's going on. Normally vampires can develop a telepathic connection with anyone they want. But in Malik's case it seems it has targeted a single person (that's you) which is very rare, especially for it to happen with a breather" Vlad explained carefully not sure how much Jess would understand. "It means that this telepathic bond will develop strongly until you both can telepathically communicate and share your thoughts and - um emotions".

Malik swore loudly in disgust. "So I am stuck with a breather forever, great, that's just bloody great!" Malik shot daggers at Jess as if it were her fault.

"Vlad, what does this mean for me?" Jess asked quietly. Vlad opened his mouth to speak but the Count got there first.

"Unfortunately, it means that for your protection and to stop Malik causing more trouble, you will have to stay here with us in our side of the school" the Count forced the words out like they were poison but after a look from Vlad he arranged his features into a forced smile.

Jess's head was swirling, so many things were running through her head. She was going to live with actual vampires. She had a telepathic bond with a vampire that meant they could read each other's thoughts and eventually emotions and she had to leave her whole life behind her; again. It was too much for Jess to process as she felt the darkness creeping up as her legs collapsed beneath her and she passed out.

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 **Author's Note: So now you finally know why Malik's life is about to change but you still don't know how yet! Thank you to everyone who reads this, I hope to post the next chapter as soon as its written.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 4

Jess's head felt fuzzy for the second time that week. Then she remembered everything that had happened in a whirlwind and jerked awake. She was lying on a soft sofa in a room with dark wood clad walls and red curtains not too different from the decoration of the dining room; a fireplace was lit at one end of what she assumed was the Count's living room. She felt a light tapping on her forehead and sat up to find Malik perched on the arm of the sofa watching her.

"I hope you're not going to make passing out a habit" he said with a smirk.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"Nothing I just thought I should make an effort, considering I'm going to be spending the next 70 or so years with you until you die".

Jess raised her eyebrows at him comically.

"No, not like that!" exclaimed Malik as he realised what he had said.

Jess just laughed, "well it's not going to be easy for me either, just please don't try and bite me again".

"I can't anyway" said Malik sulkily. "I'd be stuck with you forever because then you would become an actual vampire". Malik made a face again just thinking about it. Jess took this is an insult and punched him lightly on the arm, then proceeded to run out of the room before he could retaliate.

After their initial conversation Malik had decided to avoid Jess whenever it was possible, leaving her feeling rather unwanted despite Vlad making an effort to explain things to her when he wasn't busy being the Chosen One. It wasn't until about a week later when Jess was sat reading in the Count's library, that he was forced to talk to her again. Jess was sat in an old faded armchair that would have been facing out of the window had they not been blacked out, when she heard the door creak open and someone walk in.

"Great not you again" Malik said irritated. "It's bad enough with Vlad being half breather now you're living here as well, can't I get some peace anywhere?"

"Nice to see you too Malik, since you've avoided me all week. What have I done now?" Jess asked closing her book and standing up. Suddenly Malik was stood in front of her fangs on show once more.

"Nothing really, apart from the fact that IT'S YOUR FAULT WE ARE IN THIS MESS!" he shouted in her face, but Jess tried hard not to flinch and stood her ground.

"How is it my fault? You're the one that tried to bite me, I had to do something" she shouted back, "In case you haven't noticed I'm stuck here too!"

Malik snarled again and slumped down into a nearby chair. Jess stood watching him cautiously like he could explode any minute.

"Why does bad stuff always happen to me? First my mother gets banished and now I'm in this mess" Malik said more to himself than to Jess, he didn't seem to have noticed he had said it out loud.

"Look I lost my parents a year ago and I know you know that. You might not like it Malik but we have more in common than you think" she said sitting back down in her chair. Malik ran his hands through his hair before speaking but stopped when something caught his eye.

"That book you're reading it's the same one as you were reading other night right?" Jess nodded so he continued. "Why do breathers read those books, we all know happy endings don't really exist?"

"Maybe they don't exist in your world, I used to think they didn't but who knows. These books aren't all happy some of the things that happen to the characters are pretty tough. You've just got to 'suck it up' and get on with it; you're the one who's the vampire here."

Malik was wearing a confused expression, he hadn't realised breathers were so complicated he just thought of them as walking blood donors. With vampires it was all about having power and control no matter the consequences or who you trod on to get there, even though most of the time it ended up badly. He hadn't considered that breathers could also go through that much too until what Jess had just said. Malik's head hurt and he shook it to clear away the confusing thoughts. There was no way he would ever compare himself to a breather ever again.

"Malik" Jess said loudly. He lifted his gaze up to look at her.

"What?"

"Nothing you just went really quiet" she replied with a questioning look.

"Well what do you expect it's nearly dawn; I need to drink" he retorted and sped off without another word. Jess soon followed him out as she too was exhausted. Switching to sleeping in the day and staying awake at night was like purposely giving you self jet lag. Something she wished she would get used to soon.

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 **Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading this! I hope you still like it and feel I'm writing Malik's character okay and that he's not too OC, because sometimes he's hard to write.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 5

About a month had passed since Jess had started living with the Draculas and although Malik didn't like to admit it, he was slowly coming round to the idea that Jess wasn't that bad to be around. In fact that evening they had managed to have a conversation that lasted longer than five minutes. They had discovered that they had a similar taste in rock music, although most of Malik's music was created by vampire bands that Jess hadn't heard of and he hadn't really heard of her bands either. But for the first time since coming here Jess went to bed thinking that everything might actually work out for once.

However, that feeling didn't last long as Jess was soon woken up by the eerie high pitched noise of wind through trees and an overwhelming sense of coldness. She was immediately disorientated when she opened her eyes as instead of being in the spare bedroom, she was lying on a leafy forest floor in the dead of night.

 _Where the hell am I?_ Jess thought as she stood up. She looked cautiously around her making her feel slightly unnerved; she was unsure of where the trees ended and the shadows began.

" _Jess is that you?"_ She heard in her head.

" _Malik where are we?"_

" _In the Dreamworld, sometimes vampires can get called here. Stay where you are"_

Malik promptly appeared by Jess's side causing her to jump.

"What's going on, how can I be here, I'm not even a vampire?" Jess asked.

"I don't know it must be the link between us" Malik shrugged. For a moment they stood awkwardly staring at each other unsure of what to do now they were both together.

Jess was about to speak when something dark and shifting suddenly loomed out of the shadows a few feet away. It took the form of a large man wearing some sort of armour, on its head a helmet covered its face and where its eyes and mouth should have been were empty voids. Jess edged a little closer to Malik and hoped he wouldn't abandon her here. The terrifying creature took a step closer and stretched its arm out towards them at an unnatural length. A black fire ball appeared in its palm.

"They're Shadow Warriors, don't let them touch you or they'll kill you" Malik explained quietly. The creature perked up when it was named and launched the fire ball straight at them. Malik ducked and pulled Jess to the ground with him. The shadow warrior abruptly disappeared so they stood back up. They circled back to back waiting for it to come back, casting their eyes over the shadowy trees knowing it could be anywhere. Suddenly five more shadow warriors appeared in a circle around them.

Malik bared his fangs ready for an attack while Jess could only watch on helplessly. The shadow warriors started throwing balls of dark energy at them, Malik managing to block them all. He started to return the attack by shooting his own fire balls at them but they just kept extinguishing them and teleporting away.

"Malik we need to do something else it's not working" Jess said nervously.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Malik shouted; Jess could feel his anger growing. The creatures must have heard because they reappeared in a tighter circle around them. Jess stepped backwards bumping into Malik, she was terrified and he could feel it. He hastily grabbed her hand and ran at vampire speed straight past the warriors trying to look out for a safe place to hide. They stumbled across a small copse of trees that Malik hoped would shield them.

" _I'm sorry, this is entirely my fault. I shouldn't have done what I did to escape you and cause this stupid connection"._

" _It's not your fault, who knew this would happen. I'm cursed anyway"_ Malik sighed.

Jess looked over at Malik who was crouched next to her looking restless. She felt like she should comfort him but she felt useless in their current situation.

"Malik, Malik!" a strange voice floated through the trees. Malik seemed to recognise it as he tensed up again.

"Mother" he hissed. A shimmering light appeared ahead of them that changed into a deadly looking woman with long rippling black hair and bright mad eyes. Her cruel laugh pierced through the silence.

"How foolish of you to befriend a breather Malik, I admit she's pretty but she'll make you soft," her voice rang out clear through the trees. Jess disliked her at once.

"Leave him alone" Jess piped up, not quite sure why she felt defensive over Malik. The cruel lady's eyes swivelled to hers and she clicked her fingers. A shadow warrior grabbed Jess from behind hauling her to her feet into a tight hold. Jess felt its dark magic flow into her and its grip on her neck was excruciating. Malik could feel her struggling to breathe and the pain she was in; he had to admit he felt a little sorry for her.

"Why did you call me here, mother?"

"To tell you a secret" she laughed hysterically. "The Count is not really your father; I was only trying to convince him so I could take over the Dracula clan; the clan of the Chosen One".

"What? You've lied to me all my life; you've betrayed your own son. I HATE YOU!" Malik spat out.

"Of course I have you pathetic boy. As if I ever wanted you as a son, you have done nothing but failed me. That throne should be mine but instead I'm trapped in that stupid crystal, you have no idea how boring it is in there. No breathers to bite, mind you she looks tasty". Malik's mother's eyes moved over to Jess, lingering on her neck.

"I thought I could finally trust you again but you've betrayed me for the last time _mother._ You will regret what you've done to me." Malik threw himself towards his mother but she transformed into a shape-shifter again.

"If you hurt me I will kill your friend" she warned dangerously.

Malik turned to look at Jess who was now really struggling to breathe. He stepped away from his mother reluctantly. His mother seemed to be satisfied as she released Jess disappointingly and vanished. Malik caught Jess before she hit the ground. She held onto him tightly getting her breath back and not wanting to be alone here before the world seemed to tilt and she found herself falling back to reality.

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 **Author's Note: So not really sure if vampires listen to music but I wanted something to show that humans/vampires are not as different from each other as my characters think. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed as they are always helpful to hear.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 6

Jess woke up covered in a cold sweat and her covers were strewn across the floor. She still felt terrified after what had happened in the Dreamworld. She also realised that she could still feel Malik's rage and confusion; their connection must be getting stronger. Malik must have been able to feel her distress too because there was a knock at her bedroom door. She got up to open it and found Malik looking dishevelled in the doorway.

"I'm sorry about my mother, are you okay?" he whispered so quietly she nearly didn't hear him.

"I think so, you?" she replied. He didn't answer; his eyes looked troubled and his face was pretty pale even for a vampire. She didn't like to think what could make someone like Malik feel like that. She took his arm and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them. She sat down on the bed they had managed to find her and he reluctantly sat down next to her.

"Just talk" Jess said plainly.

"What?"

"Just tell me what that was all about and what's bothering you".

Malik started from the beginning and told her everything. He told her about his power crazy mother Elisabetta and how she had kicked him out to live on the streets when she had got bored of him. He had had to survive on his own whilst trying to dodge the slayers and keep out of trouble. When his mother had finally contacted him again claiming to have found his real father it had turned out she had lied once again, proving she couldn't be trusted and obviously no longer cared for her son.

"I can't believe she lied to me again. Okay so I'm not a Dracula but I'm no closer in finding out whom my real father is, I have nothing to go on and no one who cares" Jess watched on as Malik walked frantically around the room kicking over piles of books and occasionally punching the wall.

"Malik please calm down. I know what you're feeling but destroying my room won't solve anything. Please just let me help you" Jess pleaded.

"You have no idea what I'm feeling!" he raged and stormed out of the room. Jess sighed and started picking up her stuff to give Malik time to cool down before she went to find him.

After twenty minutes of looking she ended up on the south facing roof above some abandoned rooms. The old ceramic tiles really didn't look strong enough the hold the weight of two people and Jess didn't want to find out what was in the rooms below by falling into them. Malik, however, appeared undeterred as he stood right at the edge of the roof, while Jess was gingerly making her way up near the top.

"Look I'm sorry if I asked too much of you back there, if you want me to leave I will", she said to his back, despite the wave of sadness that washed over her as she said it. He turned around to face her, his face less full of anger but hurt and betrayal were still clear in his eyes.

"I can understand if you don't want to talk about your past. I know I certainly don't like to talk about it either but I thought it would help considering we've gone through the same sort of things before" Jess said softly.

Malik sighed frustrated. "I know your just trying to help but you shouldn't have to deal with my problems too, there's _nothing_ you can do about them".

"Do you think I don't know that?" Jess retorted. "I have no idea about how this new world I've been thrown into is run; I have an unexplained telepathic connection with a vampire who has just as many problems as I do. I don't expect to have all the answers Malik but whether you like it or not you're stuck with me now and I want to help you". Malik looked at her with a confused expression before a small smirk crept across his face.

"What?" Jess snapped; annoyed that Malik wasn't taking this seriously anymore.

"You know, I think I could get used to having you having you around, if only to annoy" he added as his grin spread further. Despite the seriousness of their conversion, Jess couldn't help but smile back at Malik's poor attempt to lighten the situation. She could feel him slowly coming round to the fact they had to stick together. Jess realised with a jolt that the thought of leaving Malik now, with the future between them so uncertain, caused a painful knot to form in her stomach and an accompanying sense of fear.

Without warning Malik spread his arms out sideways and fell backwards off of the roof. Jess jumped up worriedly to look over the edge but to her surprise a small bat appeared in front of her flapping its majestic wings.

" _Close your eyes Jess"_ Malik's voice sounded in her head.

Jess looked at the bat with a confused expression but still closed her eyes shut. To her amazement she could see exactly what Malik was seeing through his eyes but inside her head, another mystery of the telepathic bond between them. Jess watched as Malik flew across the school's rooftops, swooping low over her head then high into the air again. The moon was shining brightly over the windows making them glow with a silver tinge as he flew in circles around the buildings.

"Malik, it actually looks beautiful from up here" Jess said astonished.

" _Yes, it really does"_ Malik replied, he had stopped flying and was now hovering at her eye level as he spoke. Despite him being in bat form Jess could feel his eyes on her and blushed.

She heard his laugh as he changed back to his vampire form; his hair slightly more messed up than usual. He sat back down next to her at the top of the roof. Jess shivered as a cold night wind blew around her bare arms. She felt Malik move next to her and then felt the weight of his jacket on her shoulders. She breathed in the smell of his leather jacket.

"You know Jess" Malik said after a while, "you're not actually that bad for a breather". She turned to face him to see if he was joking but the serious look in his eyes told her that he meant it. She smiled up at him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense at first but then he relaxed against her side.

"You're not too bad either, for a blood-sucking vampire" she said quietly before closing her tired eyes drifting off to sleep once more. Malik shook his head and smiled not sure if he liked this strange new friendship or not.

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 **Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter, I enjoyed writing it! Thank you to everyone reading this and any reviews are welcome to hear.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 7

Malik was woken by stiffness in his neck and the prickling sensation of the sun stinging his skin. He quickly opened his eyes and sat up. The sun was beginning to rise above the buildings to his left; creeping up the rooftop that he and Jess were lying on. He looked over at Jess who was still curled up on her side fast asleep. Malik silently cursed himself. He must have fallen asleep and unintentionally slept out here all night. He had nearly got roasted for his carelessness. He turned to Jess and shook her arm to wake up her. She woke with a start then smiled shyly up at him.

"We need to get up or I'm going to fry" Malik said. Jess nodded and got up; they made their way back down the roof and into the house through a trap door. Malik walked Jess back to her room then stood their silently not really knowing what to say after last night's events.

"Well, last night was fun, waking up in a creepy forest with your mother who wanted to kill me. When shall we do it again?" Jess asked sarcastically.

Malik laughed, "Trust me, there'll be plenty more weird things happening now your living with vampires".

"I'm prepared to put up with that, living around here isn't as bad as I imagined. I mean there are worse people I could be stuck with".

"Okay, you're weird" Malik said matter-of-factly.

"Why?" Jess questioned innocently.

"You actually like living with the Draculas, if I had a choice I'd be out of here as soon as possible".

"Yeah, well I don't have a choice either do I? Anyway even if I could leave I wouldn't want to leave. I couldn't just turn my back on you like everyone else has done in your life. You deserve better".

Jess froze as she realised she had said that last part aloud. Malik noticed her cheeks colour slightly but pretended not to notice, instead he smirked slightly. He leant his head towards Jess slowly still not quite believing what he was about to do until he felt his lips brush against Jess's warm ones. He felt a surge of warmth radiating from her which would normally make him squirm away, but instead it felt strangely comforting. He pulled away to see her smiling warmly at him.

"See you later" he winked then sped away leaving her standing in her doorway.

Jess walked down to breakfast, anxious to see Malik again. She hadn't expected Malik to ever see her as a friend let alone more than a friend. In fact her first impression of him was someone she would definitely want to stay away from if she wanted to avoid his fangs in her neck. But she could see now that Malik wasn't just a raging fire, he had another side to him that showed all he wanted was someone who cared; it was just very well hidden. Jess's head swirled with confusion at how she had come to care for someone that despite how kindly he behaved towards her, he was still a dangerous vampire with lots of raw anger. She could hear raised voices from the dining room and she could feel rage bubbling inside Malik again.

"You evil scheming traitor, you let us take you in and all this time you weren't my son!" The Count was yelling furiously at Malik who was brooding in a corner with smoke curling from his fingertips.

"Actually, until yesterday I thought I was, my crazy mother called me to the Dreamworld last night to tell me!" Malik yelled back. Jess could see hurt in Malik's eyes as he was being blamed for yet another thing that wasn't his fault. She stepped forward into the room, suddenly feeling the need to defend Malik.

"It's true, I was there too" she said as all eyes swivelled towards her.

"Stay out of this breather, this has nothing to do with you" the Count snarled and turned back to Malik.

"Whether you are a Dracula or not, you have proved somewhat useful since you arrived here." The Count pondered. "I'll make you a deal; if you want to stay living here then you need to prove yourself worthy of my hospitality by fighting Vlad".

"Dad that's really not necessary" Vlad said but the Count silenced him with a hand.

Five minutes later Vlad and Malik were stood back to back preparing to fight. Renfield dropped a dirty handkerchief and immediately Malik created a fireball and launched it at Vlad who dodged it just in time as a glass vase smashed behind him.

Vlad charged towards Malik who changed silently into a wisp of smoke, Vlad copied him as they floated out of the doorway. The Count, Ingrid and Jess followed them onto the high ceiling stairs leading down to the hallway. Jess looked on worriedly as they were fighting as bats up near the ceiling. Ingrid appeared next to her.

"So what's the deal with you and Malik?"

"Nothing, we're just friends" Jess shrugged back.

"Interesting, Malik doesn't make friends with breathers. I wouldn't count on his loyalty for long" she said and walked away mysteriously, Jess just shrugged and turned back to the fight. Malik and Vlad had returned to normal and were now stood at either end of the long hallway. Malik held his hands up by his chest with a look of hatred on his face. He thrust his hands forward towards Vlad releasing a dark mass that made the candles flicker out. It hit Vlad in the stomach knocking him backwards.

"Now you're finished" he sneered. He began to glide over to Vlad who suddenly shot up. Malik jumped backwards out of the way but it was too late, Vlad had him in an invisible vice like grip. He held out his palm and a burst of green light came out. He angled it at Malik who writhed in pain. Jess went rigid as she began to feel his pain too. A high pitched noise started and as Jess looked closer she saw Malik become trapped inside a tiny glowing crystal.

"Malik, NO!" Jess screamed.

"Silence breather. Ha! I knew that scum was no son of mine" The Count walked over to the crystal, picked it up and smashed it. Jess gasped in pain. The little glowing shards rearranged themselves until Malik was led on the floor, unconscious. Jess ran over to him and tried to wake him up but he wouldn't respond not even when she called to him inside his head.

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 **Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter, it was sort of based on the fight between Vlad and Malik in series 4, episode 8 but with a slight twist. Thank you for reading :) Sorry if the next chapter takes a while to update (college has been pretty busy recently) but I will post a new chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Dracula, all rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

 **Author's Note: Hi, sorry it's taken so long to update, college has been busy but now it's CHRISTMAS! So that means more time to write. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's a bit longer than previous ones.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 8

"Take them both down to the dungeons until I decide their fate" The Count laughed cruelly. Renfield swung Malik over his shoulder with quite an effort and Ingrid grabbed Jess by the arm. They were led to a dark room with a large metal cage swinging from the ceiling. Ingrid produced a small brass coloured key which she put into the padlock binding the cage door to the cage wall. She turned the key with a clunk and the cage door swung open. Renfield dumped Malik down unceremoniously on the cage floor as Ingrid shoved Jess in afterwards.

"You should have just run away while you had the chance breather" Ingrid said to Jess as she locked them in. As soon as the door was closed, the metal cage was engulfed in UV light that would prevent any vampire reaching through the bars to get to the padlock. Ingrid smiled wickedly at Jess.

"Well I hope you enjoy being stuck in there; you deserve nothing less than our finest hospitality" she said sarcastically. "As for Malik, I doubt he will be pleased when he realises he's trapped in cage". Ingrid gave Malik one last hateful glare before turning her back and walking out of the room with Renfield in tow.

Jess shuffled over to where Malik was led down and sat against the cage wall by his head. The cold metal seemed to draw all the warmth from the point where her back was pressed against the bars. She reached out to brush his fringe out of his eyes and fear trickled into her stomach as she realised just how cold he really was. She had no idea what the consequences of being zoned were, but she didn't like the fact that Malik hadn't woken up yet and seemed to be in some fitful sleep.

It may have been several minutes or several hours later - Jess couldn't tell, as time seemed to stretch on forever when being trapped in a cage - when Malik began to stir. Jess reached over to feel his forehead again to see if he was worsening but he shot up so fast that Jess had to jump back to avoid being head butted.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't have stayed with me, I'm not safe to be around!" he exclaimed and Jess saw annoyance flicker in his eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you Malik? I don't want to get away from here, I want to stay and sort out this mess. I care about you Malik and I thought you did for me" Jess replied timidly. Malik sighed and shuffled up next to her. He wrapped his arm round her shoulders as she leant against him.

"I'm sorry; I'm just not used to having anyone care about me. My traitorous mother certainly doesn't and I don't even have a family now" Malik said dejectedly. "Listen, I don't know what's going to happen to us now that The Count is bound to throw us out, but I don't think I can keep you safe out there if we're attacked by slayers or even other vampires".

Jess was quite for so long he thought she wasn't going to reply.

"What if there was something you could do that meant you wouldn't have to protect me all the time. Something that would give me certain _powers_ so to speak" Jess said slowly, hoping that Malik would catch on to what she was suggesting. She could see Malik frowning as if he was thinking through what she had just said. Suddenly comprehension dawned in his eyes.

"Are you sure that's what you want because there's no turning back once I've bitten you?" Malik said with a look of genuine concern on his face. Jess took one of Malik's hands in hers and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sure, let's just get it over with".

So Malik turned her neck to face him and brushed her soft hair behind her ear; Jess no longer flinched at his cool touch as she felt him quickly sink his fangs in. Jess jumped as she felt a sharp stabbing pain and fire coursed in her veins spreading from the point where his fangs had made contact with her neck. For a moment the feeling consumed her and she had to close her eyes to stop the world spinning.

" _Jess, are you alright?"_ Jess felt Malik grab her shoulders as she slumped forwards. She opened her eyes and she could just make out Malik's anxious features as he sat there still holding her tightly to steady her.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just feel like I haven't slept in like one hundred years" she said, trying to make a joke to put Malik at ease. His features softened but Jess was getting better at reading his emotions and could tell he was still worried.

"You'll soon get used to it" Malik countered.

"Such sympathy, thank you" Jess replied sarcastically. Malik laughed and pulled Jess closer so she could rest her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, just try and get some sleep, who knows how long the Count will keep us trapped in here".

...

Malik and Jess had been kept in the cage for what seemed like at least twenty-four hours and Jess had come to the conclusion that Ingrid wasn't joking when she said Malik wouldn't be pleased at being cooped up. At first they were both quiet, as they sat silently acknowledging their fate. But as the hours passed by, Malik was getting increasingly agitated; in fact Jess had never heard him complain so much about not being able to stand up or fly off to stretch his wings. Jess had to agree that the arrangement was rather uncomfortable but surely Vlad wouldn't leave them like this for more than a few days?

Another problem that made the situation more unbearable for Jess was the fact that she had a slight thirst for something dark and red. She knew what it meant and it scared her, as much as she wanted to be able to stay with Malik she didn't completely want to forget her human side, especially if it meant killing breathers just for their blood. Jess shuddered at the thought and pressed closer to Malik who shifted his position so she could rest her head on his lap.

Jess had lost track of the time when the Count and Vlad finally appeared on the other side of the caged door; neither of them looking pleased to be there. Vlad was looking at his father expectantly while the Count was stood impatiently wringing his hands. After a silent conversation the Count rolled his eyes and began to speak.

"So Malik, due to your dismal display of fighting and shameful defeat by my _son_ , you are no longer welcome in the Dracula household. I banish you from this place with immediate effect and if you ever return -" the Count paused for effect and thunder rumbled. "You will be dusted". Apparently Malik wasn't scared of the Count's thunderous display as he simply scoffed and gave the Count a loathing glare.

" _Finally, time to get out of this hell-hole''_ he muttered inside Jess's head.

Vlad didn't look too pleased with the decision as he said, "Listen Jess, I don't know if you and Malik have found a way to deal with this telepathic bond you share, but I think it would be best if you stayed with us. Whatever he's said to you, he can't be trusted to keep his word especially when breathers are involved -"

"Ha! You're wrong little brother" Ingrid cut Vlad off sharply.

"Oh what now?" The Count snarled in annoyance.

"Can none of you see what Malik has done? I thought the Chosen One was meant to be clever" Ingrid cackled. Jess felt all eyes flick towards her once more, like on the day when Vlad first explained the connection that had formed between her and Malik. Except this time she was half surprised to find that her cheeks weren't burning furiously like they used to when she felt like blushing.

"Go on then, enlighten me" The Count said mockingly. Malik, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet during this exchange, moved forward so he was nearer the front of the cage and sat up until he was eye level with Vlad and the Count.

"Jess - isn't a breather anymore" he announced slowly. Jess felt the tension in the air rise and hoped that this conversation wouldn't end in another fight; Jess let her eyes wander over the Dracula's to assess the damage Malik's confession had caused. But Ingrid was just stood there shaking her head with her usual smirk on her face as if she was silently mocking her and Malik. The Count had a look of disbelief on his face and was opening and closing his mouth like he was trying to speak but only succeeding in looking like a goldfish. At last Jess looked at Vlad whose expression was harder to read; it seemed like he was fighting some internal battle about whether to be shocked or angry.

"Fine, if that's your choice then I can't stop you from leaving" he sighed. "But if you ever feel like you want my help then please come back." Vlad sounded a little disappointed that Jess would rather be with Malik than trust Vlad to help her out of the situation. Vlad swiftly clicked his fingers and the UV light disappeared from around the cage. Ingrid revealed the brass key that she had hung around her neck and tugged it, snapping the thread so she could take it off. She deftly threw the key through the metal bars of the cage and Malik's quick reflexes caught it.

Jess looked over at Vlad one last time and gave him a sad smile which he returned before he sped out of the room after the rest of his family. Jess heard a metallic scrape as Malik tried the key in the padlock. The door swung open noiselessly. They were free. Malik climbed out of the cage first then helped Jess down afterwards. Jess looked up at Malik to see relief settling in his eyes that he was finally getting away from the Dracula's and Jess was coming too. Jess realised that Malik was staring at her too and gave him a cheeky grin that he returned with a wink.

"So where are we going?" Jess said determinedly.

"Well, we'll have to lay low until you start to develop your new 'vampire powers'; trust me the first few days are the worst. Then after that who knows?" Malik shrugged. "I'll tell you one thing though, whoever my real father is I'm going to find him. And when I find him he better have some good answers ready".

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 **Author's Note: Thanks everyone for reading! Again sorry about the delay in updating but this was a long chapter and required some heavy editing. Reviews are welcome as always and I'm always open to improvements. Thank you :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula, just my own character and story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 9

As Jess couldn't transform into a bat yet they had to travel on foot to find somewhere relatively safe to stay until they had decided where to start looking for clues about the whereabouts of Malik's father. Malik walked them for what felt like hours, leading Jess through all the backstreets of the town that he must have discovered whilst he was sleeping rough with the group of feral vampires. He wanted to get as far away as possible before dawn in case the Count had second thoughts about dusting them and came after them. Just as the sun was starting to creep up over to the east, Jess's enhanced senses picked up the surprising scent of salt in the air. For the past hour or so she had noticed that the buildings were becoming further apart and the alleyways were less numerous, forcing them to tread carefully to avoid being spotted. As the smell of salt grew stronger and the wind picked up Jess and Malik found themselves at the edge of the town, at the start of a rocky path that lead down to the coast near the estuary.

Malik turned around to face Jess. "When I was living on the streets sometimes things got unbearable and I just wanted to be alone, so I would come here. There's a little cave about half a mile along the beach inside the cliff face. We won't be able to stay here for more than a day, the cave is submerged under water at high tide but it should do until we can travel again."

"Hmm, I didn't think vampires would like being by the sea considering you can't cross running water?" Jess questioned.

"That's exactly why we won't be bothered here" Malik said matter-of-factly as he started along the path, his boots crunching over the mixture of rocks and pebbles. If anyone was following them they would easily hear the sound of them walking on the rocks, Jess just had to hope that the sound of the wind and the waves would disguise it.

It wasn't long before they reached the cave that Malik had described, although there was one thing about it that he had failed to mention. The cave was set roughly ten feet up the cliff face which they would have to climb to reach it; well Jess at least would have to climb it. She turned to Malik, ready to suggest that if he was a proper gentlemen then he would offer her a leg up, only to find that he had already transformed into his bat-self.

" _Race you to the top"_ he said still somehow managing to convey the hint of sarcasm inside her head. Jess shook her head as Malik flew away before gripping the rock and starting to climb. When she reached the edge of the cave floor she found Malik crouching down to look over the edge, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Something funny?" she glared at him, but she couldn't stay angry for long as he reached over the edge to offer her his hands. She took them gratefully as she hauled herself up over the ledge and stood in the mouth of the cave. Jess peered out over where she had climbed from. The dark blue sea wasn't yet directly under their patch of cliff face but Jess could tell it was coming in quickly. She looked towards the horizon where the sun was rising over the water and realised she would definitely miss the feeling of it on her skin. In a couple of hours it would be fully up but they could do nothing until dusk to avoid being dusted.

At the back of the cave Malik produced an orange fireball in his hand and let it float in midair just below the ceiling. It threw shadows around their cave and lit up parts of Malik's face sharpening his strong features. Jess found herself staring at him for a few moments until he noticed her looking.

"What are you looking at?" he said with a cheeky smirk. Jess felt her cheeks trying to blush and decided it was time to change the subject before she embarrassed herself further.

"You should teach me how to do that fire thing; it might come in useful if we're attacked".

Malik beckoned her towards him and extinguished his flame but Jess could see just enough without it thanks to her new enhanced eyesight. She walked closer to Malik who stood behind her and touched his fingertips to her temples.

"You have to channel the flames from deep within you and find something powerful to fuel them" he explained.

"Something like what?" she enquired. Jess felt Malik's fingertips slip from the sides of her head as he shifted uncomfortably behind her.

"Well for me its anger, you know how I'm always angry" he confessed. "But you should probably find something less self destructive".

Jess thought hard about any strong feelings she had. Aside from her feelings for Malik, her other strongest feeling was the grief over the loss of her parents and how she never got to mourn them properly. Instead of focusing on the bad feelings she tried to remember all the fond memories she had had with them and a warm feeling spread from her chest to her fingertips. Flames launched out of her fingers and an orange ball was suddenly floating in front of her, warming the cave. Jess turned round to face Malik who had a pleased look on his face but it soon transformed into concern.

"Why are you crying?" he said and brought his hand up to wipe the tears Jess hadn't realised were falling down her cheeks.

"Sorry, I was thinking about my parents and how happy I was before they were ..." Jess broke off, she knew parents were a touchy subject for Malik. But he only sighed and said "I know it's hard but we have to rely on each other now, you've been worth more than a family to me recently". Malik looked almost shocked like he was surprised he had just admitted that out loud. Jess felt an overwhelming urge to be closer to him so closed the distance between them. She had to look up to reach his eye level.

"You know I've felt the same recently Malik, I really like you" she whispered.

Malik looked unsure for a few moments; Jess could feel his eyes searching hers.

"I think – I think I've" Malik sighed in frustration. _Why can't I get the stupid words out?_ Jess squeezed his hand gently and she felt his confidence shift slightly.

But instead of replying he gently cupped her face with his hands and she found herself wrapping her arms around his waist. He closed the distance between them further and kissed her slowly. He felt Jess smile and he smiled too that he had finally managed to find someone who cared as much for him in his messed up world. All of a sudden Malik felt a sharp pain behind his eyes and somehow he knew that Jess could feel it too. A blinding white light flashed inside his head before blurred images starting flicking through his mind. He felt Jess reach out for his other hand and he gripped it tightly as he tried to focus in on the images. After a few seconds the images seemed to slow down and he was able to pick out a few. He realised that once again he was looking into Jess' mind and was able to see into her memories, except this time he was in them too. He was witnessing all the events over the past couple of months that had lead up to where they are now.

"I think we're seeing into each other's minds again" Jess said confused. "This is weird, is this going to happen every time we kiss?"

"I honestly don't know, but I do know how we can find out" Jess smiled at Malik who winked as he bent down to kiss her again.

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 **Author's Note: Okay, I know Young Dracula is filmed in Liverpool (well I think it is) and there may not be any coastlines there with cliffs in, but this is Fan _fiction. _ Anyway, thank you for reading and all reviews are always helpful so I know if you like the way the story is going. Thankyou!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula, just my own character and story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 10

"Jess! Jess we need to get up" Malik was gently prodding her to wake her up but she groaned and turned her back on him. He reached over and dug his hands into her stomach gently. She laughed in shock and sat straight up.

"Look it's nearly dark, we can travel now" Malik explained.

"Okay, but where are we going?"

"How about Paris?" he suggested, "Always wanted to go there"

"Sounds good" Jess grinned back, but then her smile faded. "But I still can't fly how are we going to get there?"

"I have an idea but I don't think you'll like it".

Malik led her over to the entrance of the cave until they were stood right at the edge. Jess looked over at the choppy waves that seemed even angrier than last night; their little cave would be completely submerged in a few hours. The white spray splashed their faces and icy wind whipped through their hair chilling the vampires further.

"No way, you're crazy Malik!" Jess shouted over the top of the wind. Malik had suggested that in order to develop Jess's ability to turn into a bat, they should create a 'life threatening situation' to try and force it out. So naturally Malik had proposed jumping of a tall cliff and hopefully transforming before hitting the freezing water.

"You'll be fine; I was when I first tried"

"Yeah but I bet you weren't forced to jump off a cliff"

"No, my mother was dangling me over a volcano actually" Malik said seriously. Jess nodded reluctantly. Malik took her hand and counted down from three; to Jess's horror he jumped on two.

Jess screamed as the cold wind stung her face as she plummeted towards the sea and certain death. Malik hadn't turned yet as promised; he would wait for her to change in case anything went wrong. Jess closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on well, being a bat. She tried to imagine having wings instead of clumsy arms so she could fly on the wind currents instead of falling. When she opened her eyes again she risked glancing Malik.

He had already turned into a bat, _what was he doing?_ Jess looked down at herself and saw instead of arms she now had black leathery wings and a fury body. She had actually done it; she was no longer falling to her death she was flying alongside Malik.

" _I knew you could do it, come on let's go to Paris"_ Malik said.

Jess was surprised how quickly they could fly as she could see Dover's white cliffs behind her that were already disappearing into the night. They flew over the channel with Malik leading the way ahead of her. It took them a few hours before they could see the Eiffel Tower lit up red against the backdrop of Paris. Malik flew them right to the top and landed on a piece of scaffolding. He transformed back to normal and swung his lungs over the railing he was sat on. Jess copied him and sat down to his right griping onto a nearby pole tightly to stop her from falling.

"How long until dawn?" Jess asked.

"Just over an hour, then we need to find somewhere to stay" Malik replied. The view from the tower was breathtaking (well not that they had any breath to take away). All of Paris was lit up and the Seine flowed through it like a silver snake occasionally interrupted by various shaped bridges. The Notre Dame cathedral and the Palias de Chaillot sat to their right. The pyramidal shape of the Louvre was lit up blue and purple which made it sparkle; even Malik had to admit it looked beautiful from up there.

All too soon they saw the sun begin to creep up on the horizon and they had to move. They walked around the cramped backstreets of Paris trying to find the least dodgy place to stay. Malik was convinced he had heard of a vampire who had set up a hotel in Paris for other vampires and that they just needed to look in the right place. Eventually they found it, a classy eighteenth century building tucked in a corner of a back street. It had classic tall French windows and was made of whitish stone. A red sign hung above the door that said 'The Red Night'. Malik pushed the door open and they walked into the reception. The interior was decorated in a similar Gothic style to the Dracula's house, Jess wasn't sure if that reassured her or not.

Looking round Jess could definitely tell this was a vampire hotel. Men in dark cloaks were gathered around the bar drinking blood. Countesses were wearing glamorous shimmering dresses. In fact they all looked more upmarket than Malik and Jess who looked out of place in a leather jacket and hoody.

"Stay close to me" he whispered, taking Jess's hand. They walked towards the receptionist who was eyeing them suspiciously. Malik cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Can I help you Monsieur?" she spoke in good English with a French accent.

"My friend and I would like to book a room for a few nights" Malik announced in what he thought was a more sophisticated voice but the lady clearly wasn't fooled.

"I'm sorry, we're full. I think you and your half-fang friend should try somewhere more to your standards" she sneered nastily. Malik was about to speak but was interrupted by Jess whose eyes had just flashed yellow.

"Oh really, are you sure? I think you can fit us in say -" Jess searched the registration book frantically "-room 352 for as long as we require it"

"Of course Madame here are your keys" the receptionist handed over the set of keys as Jess thanked her.

"Since when did you learn to hypnotise?" Malik asked when they were far enough away from reception.

"I don't know I just tried it" she shrugged. They climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor and quickly searched for room 352. It was a small but grand room with an en suite, wardrobe, sofa and a coffin.

"You have it" Jess offered "I'd rather sleep on the sofa; I'm not used to the idea of sleeping in a coffin yet".

Malik jumped into the coffin to try it out, unfortunately due to his height he had to stick his feet out the end and his broad shoulders were squashed at the sides.

"Or maybe I won't sleep in the coffin" Malik said, "You would fit thought". Jess still shook her head.

"I'm sorry it reminds me of my parents, I can't"

Malik sighed. He took the cover out of the coffin and laid it on the floor. He rolled up his leather jacket and used it as a pillow.

"Its fine I'm used to sleeping on the floor" he said and led down with his back to her. Jess walked over to the sofa and arranged the cushions as pillows. She led down on her side and looked over at Malik lying uncomfortably on the floor, she closed her eyes.

"Night Malik" she said quietly. He only grunted in response. Jess yawned and eventually fell asleep. Malik however couldn't get to sleep as his neck and shoulder were hurting. In fact everything was hurting from lying on this floor so two hours later he had had enough. He got up quietly and walked over towards the sofa with the blanket. He looked at Jess sleeping comfortably curled up against the back of the sofa. He slid next to her trying not to wake her up; he didn't feel like causing an argument. He draped the blanket over both of them trying not to touch Jess. He heard Jess sigh in her sleep as she turned over so she was now facing him. Malik was trying desperately not to fall off the edge of the sofa as he now had less space than before. He didn't want to perch on the edge of the sofa all night so reluctantly he woke Jess up.

She jumped as she opened her eyes and saw Malik's face so close to hers. She frowned at him confused.

"Sorry the floor was too uncomfortable for me" he smiled cheekily.

Jess rolled her eyes whilst smiling.

"Come here then" she said and snuggled against him. Malik who was now satisfied with the sleeping arrangements put his arm round Jess and kissed her forehead.

"Night Jess"

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 **Author's Note: Thanks to anyone still reading this, it is much appreciated after the ridiculously long updates. Again Sorry!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula, just my own character and story line.**

 **Author's Note: Okay so this chapter sort of deviates from the show a bit in terms of Malik's past and background, but then we are not really told much about it anyway. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 11

The next night they agreed to start searching for answers as to who Malik's father might be. They headed to the nearest library to try and see if they could dig up any useful information. The library was a few minutes away, by flight of course. Unsurprisingly, the library was closed as it was well past the normal opening hours. However, this didn't deter the two vampires who simply turned into smoke and drifted through a crack in a carelessly left open window.

They had no idea where to start looking for specific books as they weren't entirely convinced the library would have anything on vampires at all, so instead they headed straight for the computer bank. Jess clicked her fingers and used her new-found flames to light a nearby gas lantern. Malik managed to somehow open the browsing software on the computer but then stared blankly at the blinking cursor on the glaring white screen.

"So now what?" he asked prodding random buttons.

"Really, you're a three hundred year old vampire and you can't even use a computer?" Jess said whilst trying not to laugh. Malik glared at her and reluctantly got up out of the chair for Jess to sit down.

"Okay, so what do you want me to search?"

"I don't know try my name" he suggested. Jess typed Malik Vaccaria into the search engine and a birth certificate appeared; an extremely old birth certificate.

It read:

MALIK HELLFIRE VACCARIA

BORN: 24th December 1715, Romania

MOTHER: Elisabetta Vaccaria

FATHER: Unknown

"Great, that's very helpful" Malik kicked the desk in front of him angrily.

"Just be patient Malik" Jess rolled her eyes and typed in his mother's name to try and find the vampire equivalent of a marriage certificate. Eventually she found something but it wasn't at all helpful. It was a scan of a thin piece of brown parchment, the colour you might achieve by staining paper with teabags. In curling inky script across the page it said that Elisabetta had been blood-bound to Count Dracula for a few short years, but they both already knew that The Count wasn't Malik's real father.

"Maybe we would have better luck in the book section. We might be able to find the original copy of these certificates or a family tree or something" Jess suggested, though she could see Malik was getting impatient again.

"In case you haven't noticed this is a French library, it won't have Romanian documents" Malik said matter-of-factly but Jess wasn't listening. She was searching through book titles on the screen.

"Found one!" she exclaimed. "It's called 'A Slayers Guide to Traditional Vampire Families'".

"Slayers guide really?" Malik said unconvinced, raising his eyebrows sarcastically.

"Oh come on, you know how superstitious the French are why do you think they carry garlic around their neck?" Jess stated obviously.

Despite Malik's lack of faith she got up and started looking through the shelves in the restricted part of the library where the oldest and weirdest books were more likely to be kept. Malik joined her search and after about half an hour he called Jess over to the shelf he was looking at. He pulled a thick bounded black book off the self. In silver lettering across the front it said 'Traditional Vampire Families: A Slayers Guide'.

He quickly flicked through the yellowing pages to find his family name; he stopped near the back and placed the book down on a desk. Spread across the left-hand page was the Vaccaria family tree; it wasn't very big. Malik's name was at the bottom with two branches coming off the top. One showed his mother's respective side of the family and the other showed what Jess assumed was his real father's name: Rau.

"Hey I recognise that name from one of Vlad's books. That translates as evil in Romanian doesn't it?" Jess asked. Malik didn't answer her; instead he slammed the book's cover shut.

"This is bad, very bad" he said in a low voice.

"What's bad?" Jess asked slowly; not certain if she wanted to hear this or not.

"My supposed father Rau, I've heard of him before, something Bertrand said in class. He's not just a vampire, he's a demon". Malik's face had no expression at all which scared Jess. She had expected him to get angry like he usually did but this time his arms hung by his sides limply, clenching and unclenching his fists. She knew this was bad if even Malik being serious, she didn't know much about demons other than that they were very dangerous and purely evil, so finding out that Malik was actually half demon was also pretty scary.

Back at their hotel room, Malik was pacing back and forth debating what to do. Jess was sat on the sofa trying to calm him down but not really succeeding.

"I want to try and find him" Malik announced suddenly coming to a halt.

"What! Did you not hear yourself earlier? Your father's dangerous Malik, he's a demon for bat's sake."

"I don't care I need to know who my father is, I've waited three hundred years to find out!" he snapped at her, unaware that his fangs were on show. Jess stood up to face him with her fangs showing too.

"Listen you're not thinking straight, let's just talk things through -"

"I need a drink" Malik sighed despairingly, cutting off Jess.

"I can get you some water-"

"Not that kind of drink. I need blood Jess, I haven't had any for nearly a week and I'm starving"

"Fine, well they must serve some downstairs" Jess sighed frustratingly. "Come on let's go"

The bar downstairs was serving all different types of blood, not just French but vintage antiques from all over the world proving once more how out of place they were in this upmarket hotel. Malik ordered a pint of A+ but Jess still refused to drink some. She asked for soya blood instead but they just laughed at her so she settled for plain old water. Malik sat sipping his blood at the bar and Jess could see him visibly relaxing. The metallic yet fruity smell filled her nose and she felt a sudden craving but quickly dismissed the thought. If the Chosen One could resist it then so could she.

"I hate to admit it but I think we need help" Jess stated. Malik nearly choked on his blood.

"I think we should go back to the Dracula's. I know Vlad will help us"

"Help you maybe but they hate me, I betrayed them remember".

"Look if you want to go after Rau yourself then fine but I don't think it's safe"

Malik stopped drinking and looked at her. He spoke in her head so no one else could hear.

" _I told you before that I wasn't safe but you still chose to stay with me. You're not regretting that are you?"_

"What no! I like you Malik and I want to help you. I just think that going after your dad is not our only option. We need help, well at least I do because I don't about you but I have no idea how to deal with a demon if things turn ugly. Also I don't want you putting yourself in danger anymore than you have to." Jess explained tiredly. After a long time Malik finished his drink and spoke again.

"I trust you Jess and if you think we should go back then we will, because I don't want to be responsible for you to be in danger either", he said gripping her hand tightly, "We'll fly back tomorrow".

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading this chapter, I'd say that its nearly 3/4 of the way through my story now, so only about 4 chapters left!**

 **As always any reviews are useful so I know that you still like the story or if there are some glaring mistakes that I nee to fix; thank you anyone who has reviewed previously as its nice to hear :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula, just my own character and story line.**

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Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 12

The flight back over the channel wasn't nearly as exciting as the flight over. The thought of returning to the Dracula's filled them with dread as they had been promised a dusting if they ever came back. However, they both agreed that Jess had a better chance of being accepted back than Malik so she was to go in first and explain the situation.

Jess stood at the front door to the Dracula's household hesitantly then knocked three times on the door. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Malik who was concealed in a tree as a bat to keep out of sight until necessary. The door opened in front of her to reveal the Dracula's servant Renfield stood there, as disgusting as usual. It took him a while to register that Jess was not meant to be there.

"I should tell Master you're back, I expect he'll want to dust you then reward me for capturing you" Renfield said proudly. He cleared his throat before shouting.

"Master Vlad you'll never guess whose back!" Vlad and The Count appeared in the blink of an eye. The Count took one look at Jess and his eyes turned black.

"I should stake you on the spot you filthy traitor!"

"Dad wait, let her explain first" Vlad interrupted. "What is it Jess, has Malik hurt you?"

"What? No he hasn't done anything, please I need your help" Jess replied hurriedly.

"Where is Malik? This could be a trap Vlad" the Count looked around suspiciously.

"Don't worry he won't be showing up if he knows what's good for him" Jess answered.

"Very well come in" the Count agreed reluctantly.

Vlad led them inside to the dining room and called a house meeting. The Count was sat in his throne whilst the others were sat around the large mahogany table.

"Are you going to tell us what's wrong or not?" Ingrid snapped irritably.

"Only if you promise not to interrupt me until I'm finished".

"We promise, don't we Dad?" Vlad looked at the Count expectantly who nodded hastily. Jess began to explain.

"Okay, it's not just me who needs your help; it's Malik too. I know you all hate him because his mother tricked you into thinking he was your son but his mother betrayed him as well. He's angry all the time and I'm scared he's going to do something dangerous. When we were in Paris we discovered who his real father is. He's a demon called Rau and Malik wants to go after him. But we need you to help us track him down, or if you won't help then just convince Malik not to go looking for him. Please if you won't help Malik then help me" Jess finished explaining and looked expectantly at Vlad. The room was silent, the Count and Ingrid were sat frowning and looking fed up. Vlad's face was also frowning but it was because he was thinking deeply.

"What do we get out if it?" Ingrid asked; she still didn't trust Jess or her motives for helping Malik.

"If you help us find Malik's father then I promise you will never see us again".

"That sounds good to me, when do we start?" The Count said.

"But how do we know we can trust you or Malik?" Ingrid queried.

"You have my word and his, I promise" Jess said honestly.

"Okay you have deal. Tell Malik he can show his face now" Vlad decided.

"Thank you" said Jess.

...

Malik was still in bat form in the tree when Jess walked out to meet him and tell him the good news. When she was close to the base of the tree he jumped down to stand next to her.

"They're going to help us Malik" Jess explained.

"So we have to go back to living with them" he said in annoyance.

"Look I'm sure they're thrilled about it too, but you did agree that we needed their help" said Jess trying to make him see reason.

"I know, I know I just don't like having to trust them. They could stake me any minute if they wanted to get revenge."

"I know but we sort of need them, let's go inside" Jess took his hand and led him inside. Vlad, Ingrid and the Count were waiting in the hallway with very suspicious looks. Jess could feel Malik's reluctance to walk past them so she squeezed his hand and pulled him along. Ingrid hissed threateningly at them as they walked past so Jess hissed back to prove that she was a vampire now, not a breather and she could handle Ingrid.

"Take the third door on the left up the stairs" Vlad said "Sorry you'll have to use the spare room for now".

The room wasn't very big as it was crammed with junk the Dracula's no longer needed. A broken coffin was leaning against one wall and books were stacked up by the other. In the centre of the room two large hammocks hung from the ceiling; each contained a pillow and a blanket. There was a damp patch in one of the corners near the top of the wall and the whole room seemed remarkably unpleasant.

"They must really hate us to give us this room" Jess said.

"Trust me it will get worse" Malik replied but Jess was only half listening.

"Do you think they'll let me go to my old school dorm and collect some stuff?"

"Who said we needed their permission, let's go" Malik grinned at her and Jess knew she could never say no to that. They sped off towards Jess's old room in the school dorms. The dormitories for the boarded students were located in a two storey building far enough away to not disturb the main school buildings. Jess's room was on the second floor near the fire escape. They walked up to the front door and Jess revealed a paper clip hidden in her pocket that she expertly used to pick the lock. They carefully passed through the door not letting it slam shut behind them and quickly climbed the stairs.

When they reached Jess's room there was a piece of paper stuck to Jess's front door. It had a picture of her on it and underneath were the words: 'MISSING, 17 year old Jess Walker, long brown hair with blue eyes, last seen at this boarding school two months ago. Please contact police if any information known', this was followed by the telephone number of presumably the police department responsible. Jess didn't think anyone would miss her but obviously her foster family had noticed but she had no desire to go back to that life now. She couldn't imagine what they would make of her being a vampire and bringing back her vampire boyfriend to visit them. They would probably tell her she was just making up stories to get attention for a change and to grow up. No she had definitely left that old world behind, she would turn 18 in a few months time so she knew she would be forgotten after a while.

She tried the door handle but it was locked and she no longer had her key. Malik stepped forward and walked straight through the closed door. Jess pictured herself walking through the door and followed him through. Her room was basic; a single bed, wardrobe and en suite toilet but she had decorated her room to her liking. The walls were plastered in posters of her favourite bands and she had covered her notice board with photographs of her and her parents when they were alive. Malik was stood looking at them but for Jess it was too painful. Instead she started piling clothes into a rucksack and gathering anything else she needed.

"You look so happy in these photos with your family" Malik said suddenly. Jess dropped the bag she was trying to shove jeans into and stood next to him.

"I was happy then, back when everything was normal" she said sadly; she still missed her parents badly.

"Normal for you maybe, I've always lived like this" Malik stated plainly.

"I'm sorry I didn't think what it must have been like".

"I used to be sorry too but now I'm just angry".

"I know Malik, I can feel it radiating off of you all the time and it makes me feel useless, like sometimes I don't know how to help you" Jess admitted. Malik sighed and pulled Jess into a tight hug.

"I never expected to say these words but- I do love you Jess, I just wanted you to know that" he admitted quietly.

"That's good because I love you too Malik" she smiled. "So let's just make an agreement. The past is the past and we should just try to focus on our new lives now" Jess suggested.

She felt Malik nod in agreement by her ear. Jess finished packing her bag; she took one last look at the pictures of her parents and picked two or three to keep. Then she opened her window wide so she and Malik could fly out as bats, carrying her bag between them.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Once again thank you for reading and reviewing! There is only about three chapters left now so you will be finally getting some answers as to what Malik's mysterious demon father is really like.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula or the briefly mentioned Twilight and Marvel films. All I own is my character Jess and my story line.**

* * *

Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 13

The next day Vlad had presented Malik and Jess with a rather large pile of Bertrand's old historical books from his training room and personal study. They spent the whole morning speed reading through them looking for any reference to a demon named Rau. Malik had only lasted about an hour before he was bored and gave up looking.

"This is useless; there are hundreds of books here. It's going to take us ages" he whined.

Jess threw a heavy book at him and told him to shut up. His quick reflexes caught the book with ease but he did finally stop complaining. Although Jess had to admit that Malik did have a point. There was no guarantee that Malik's father was mentioned in any of these books. Bertrand could have heard about him somewhere else. A few hours later, long after Malik had given up and was sat watching Jess whilst sipping blood, Vlad finally found something in a book from two hundred years ago. He called the others over and began to read off the dust covered page.

"The demon Rau represents the essence of evil itself. He is said to have originated from the heart of the Carpathian Mountain range in Romania. No one is certain of what he looks like in demon form but he has appeared as a vampire on several occasions. Every five hundred years he would present himself to a vampiress and produce a new son and heir to his throne in Romania. The last time this was known to happen was in 1715 when he appeared to the elite shape-shifter Elisabetta Vaccaria. Rau disappeared before the child was born; a half-vampire, half-demon who is said to have inherited some unique powers from his father making him different to other vampires. However no one knows what these powers may be. Rau is one of the most dangerous yet important demons as he fuels the evil in all vampires but be warned; he will show no mercy to either his enemies or friends." Vlad finished talking and the room was deadly silent as they took in his words.

"So does this mean I have a throne somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains as well as some new dark powers" Malik said excitedly.

"Is that all you heard? Malik your father must have lots of heirs wanting to claim his throne." Jess said.

"Yeah, but I'm obviously the latest one so it should be rightfully mine".

"What if your other half-brothers are still alive, they could try and dust you" Jess said reasonably.

"So what, I could get dusted any minute living with the Chosen One. I've waited three hundred years for something good to come along".

"Well then you can wait a little longer" Vlad interrupted. "Maybe being half-demon explains why you can only share a telepathic link with one person because your dad is only able to communicate to other vampires once every five hundred years. But apart from that I don't see any other special powers you've inherited from him." he suggested apologetically.

"It would certainly explain why you are so angry and moody all the time, being the 'Prince of Evil' " Jess said pretending to put speech marks around the words with her hands. Malik hissed in annoyance so Jess hissed back.

"Anyway... When you two have finished flirting, we need to decide what to do next" Vlad said.

"Claim my throne"

"Leave him alone"

Malik and Jess had spoken at the same time. They stared at each other with more annoyance than anger. Vlad sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair.

"I'll leave you to it then" he said and sped off.

"I want to see him Jess, he's my father. I don't care if it's dangerous"

"Maybe there's a way of meeting him but on our terms" Jess said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Malik said confused.

"If we could lure him here to the Dracula's house and somehow trap him then surely we can control him easier" she explained. A mischievous smile appeared on Malik's face.

"Let's do it"

However, their plan was easier said than done as they had no idea how they could contact Malik's demon father to lure him to the Dracula's house. They needed to find someone who could locate and hunt down demons. As it happened the Count had a few friends back in the old country and one of them was trained in the dark arts. His name was Ramanga and he was part of the Vampire High Council. He was one of the most respected vampires on the council but he was also known for dabbling in dark magic. The Count had sent a bat with a letter to Romania to invite Ramanga to stay with them.

He had arrived the next evening wearing a large black travelling cloak and an impressive set of fangs. His outfit screamed danger and authority. To be honest Jess thought he looked pretty frightening. After pleasantries had been exchanged, Vlad got straight down to business with explaining the reason they needed his assistance.

"We need you to help us summon the demon called Rau. We discovered that he is Malik's father and he has made the crazy decision that he wants to meet him" Vlad explained quickly.

"Ah yes, the very essence of evil himself, you have a mighty heritage indeed Malik" said Ramanga.

"Which is why we need your help because he's also dangerous" Jess added. Ramanga turned towards her suspiciously.

"So who are you then? A recently turned breather, I thought the Chosen One would have a better choice of companions" Ramanga sneered.

"Actually she's a friend so if you wouldn't mind back off" Malik spoke for the first time, slipping his arm around Jess' shoulders protectively. Ramanga frowned then turned back to Vlad.

"I can perform what you ask of me but I will require payment, in blood naturally".

"You will have whatever you need to prepare" Vlad promised.

Ramanga stayed downstairs in the basement training room for most of the next few days preparing for his summoning; although Jess suspected most of his preparation included drinking large amounts of blood. Meanwhile Malik was becoming increasingly agitated as he was coming to terms with meeting his father who was possibly the most dangerous demon out there. The night before Ramanga was supposed to summon Rau, Malik's attitude went from bad to worse. Jess could see that as well as becoming impatient he was also very anxious; a feeling that was very rare where Malik was concerned.

What gave it away was the fact that he couldn't sit still; he had disappeared for most the night after flying off as soon as the sun went down. Jess suspected that he had gone to the little cave in the cliff but if he had decided he wanted to be on his own then she would respect him for it. When he finally came back he didn't even relax when Jess had tried to give him a pint of his favourite blood to drink; despite her objection to drinking it herself. In the end Jess had had enough and had decided that something had to be done about it. So when Malik had stood still long enough for Jess to properly talk to him she dragged him away into the living room where she had set up her laptop and some speakers.

"Jess, what are we doing here?" Malik asked once they had sat down on the sofa in front of the laptop.

"Well, I know when I used to get stressed like you are now, and don't try and deny it; one of the best ways to relax was watching a film" she stated casually.

"Sounds like a very _breather_ thing to do" said Malik doubtfully.

"Look just try it okay, I only want to help you relax because you've been moody all day. Plus we haven't actually had a proper date yet" Jess said. Malik groaned loudly.

"Alright, fine but you better have picked a good film, none of that stupid Twilight nonsense".

"As if I'd pick that! I've actually picked a Marvel film, where they are no fake vampires in sight" Jess hit the play button and the Marvel comic strips began to flick across the screen. She leaned against Malik's shoulder as he took her hands and the film's theme tune started playing.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Just to say that Malik's comment at the end is in no way a dig at the Twilight series, I just wondered how another vampire might view it. This is the penultimate chapter, the next one is full of lots of action! Thank you for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula or any other series mentioned in this fanfic; all I own is my character Jess and the story line.**

* * *

Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Chapter 14

To her surprise her plan to stop Malik being moody had actually succeeded and the next morning he no longer looked or felt stressed. Watching the film last night had seemed to make Malik's behaviour strangely nicer than normal which was completely freaking Ingrid out. Around midnight Ramanga had announced that he was ready to begin. Everyone gathered in the large training room where Ramanga had drawn a pentagram on the floor and had arranged a circle of weird looking statue heads around it.

Everyone was quiet as he began chanting in an unknown language that sounded like a load of nonsense to everyone else. The centre of the circle caught fire and the strange purple flames shifted into the form of a large horrific face. Unlike the shadow warriors, it had orange eyes with flecks of fire in them; its black scaly skin shimmered gruesomely. The head shrank down to its proper size and a body surrounded in smoke appeared.

"I am Rau, who has summoned me into the mortal world?" said a deep voice that made Jess's chest rumble.

"My Lord, it is I your humble servant Ramanga that has summoned you here" Ramanga bowed down low before the demon.

"For what purpose have you summoned me from my throne?" the voice boomed like thunder. At this point Malik stepped forward and knelt before the demon.

"Father" he said bowing his head. The great Rau turned his evil eyes upon Malik, his dark brow furrowed in annoyance.

"Malik Vaccaria, I wondered when I'd finally be meeting you, your delightful mother Elisabetta where is she?"

"She is trapped inside the blood mirror, father" Malik admitted quietly.

"Shame I rather liked her, it's unfortunate you're not like her at all. She was so cunning, ambitious and purely evil. Whereas you are full of raw anger with no idea how to use it, that breather girl has made you soft. Although she's got more fight in her than her parents I'll give her that".

"What do you mean my parents?" Jess said nervously.

"You are not worthy of an answer!" Rau barked. Jess looked sideways at Malik silently begging him to question his father.

"Father what do you mean, how do you know about Jess's parents?"

"DO NOT QUESTION ME! SHOW YOUR FATHER SOME RESPECT" he raged. "Her parents are just the latest to fall victim to my fangs but if you want to defend a pair of _breathers_ so much then you are clearly not worthy of claiming my throne" .

Malik jumped up in anger whilst Jess sank down into a chair, her face conflicted with the torrent of emotions now running through her and Malik.

"Please father I'll do anything just let me prove myself!"

"Come closer then boy, let me see what you're really made of" said Rau, his scaly hand beckoning his son forward. Malik stepped towards the circle that was now entirely consumed in flames. Rau motioned for him to step inside the circle.

"Malik don't it's a trap!" Jess shouted. Malik turned round to face her but it was too late. His father suddenly shot out a scaly hand and grabbed him. Malik yelled as he was pulled through the flames and a dark green energy wrapped around his body, binding him next to Rau.

"Another young heir to keep me alive" Rau laughed cruelly.

"Let him go!" Jess screamed. "What are you doing?"

"My son is half- vampire, half-demon, this means I can use his suppressed demon side to keep me alive for the next five hundred years". Fear flickered across Malik's face as he realised that his father meant to sacrifice him. Jess could feel his fear taking over her body as she tried to stay calm and think of a way out. The Count was cowering in a corner and Ingrid was frozen to the spot. Ramanga was still coming to terms with what he had just summoned and was just stood there staring at Rau in awe whilst Malik was writhing in pain.

"Ramanga do something please, close the portal!" Jess said. Ramanga snapped out of his daze and started chanting again. Rau growled and shot a bolt of lightning at him turning him to dust.

"Oh great now what" Ingrid sighed.

"Think of something Vlad". Vlad closed his eyes in concentration and tried to think. Jess looked worriedly at Malik who was beginning to flicker in and out of focus.

" _Jess help me, it hurts"_ he pleaded, Jess had never seen him so scared and angry at the same time.

"Silence Malik soon it will be over and you will be dust" Rau laughed eerily.

"You don't understand how much I hate you father or my mad mother" Malik spat out. "My whole life has been nothing but a curse and it's your fault," Malik yelled in pain as the green energy rippled through his body absorbing his strength. Jess could feel his pain so strongly now that she felt like she was burning too. She felt helpless as she saw Rau begin to suck the life out of Malik who was getting weaker.

" _Malik"_ Jess spoke inside his head.

" _Jess please help me, I don't want to die"_

" _I know, Vlad's working on something but I don't know what to do"_

" _I love you Jess"  
"I love you too Malik" _Malik gave her a sad smile and Jess could feel him getting weaker.

Suddenly thunder rumbled through the room which brought Jess back to the present. Lightning was flickering around Vlad, his eyes black and sharp fangs bared. His voice boomed as he addressed Rau.

"I am the Chosen One and I command you to obey me". Rau stopped trying to kill Malik and turned to face Vlad.

"What makes you think _you_ can control _me_?"

"I am the most powerful vampire in the whole world; do you really want to mess with me?" Vlad threatened. He shot a lightning bolt at Rau who dodged out of the way behind Malik.

"You will obey me or I will dust you! I banish you back to whatever pit in Hell you came from, you will be chained there for eternity with no more heirs to keep you alive and I will sit and watch as you get weaker and weaker." Rau disappeared with crack of thunder, the flames around the statues blew out and the green glow around Malik disappeared and he dropped to the ground.

Jess ran over and collapsed down next to him. He reached out and pulled her closer and Jess held onto him tightly. Vlad cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Sorry to break this up; but we need to talk properly" Jess nodded and helped Malik stand up as he continued to grip onto her. They reconvened in the dining room and sat around the big wooden table. The Count had Renfield bring up some blood drinks to steady his nerves as everyone was still in shock at their near death experience.

Malik had almost recovered from what his father had tried to do. The blood seemed to be helping him regain his strength. Jess could still feel that he was angry and confused but he was tired as well; tired of being lied to. She also got the feeling that he didn't want to stick around with the Dracula's anymore. The house held too many painful memories for both of them. For a while no one spoke until Jess decided to speak up.

"So what happens now?"

"Well now that I've made sure Rau won't be coming back we should be safe for a while" Vlad answered. "But I guess it's up to you two whether you want to stay here or not".

"Yes, but like I said before neither of you are welcome here anymore; you've brought us nothing but trouble" the Count said. "You promised to leave us alone if we helped you".

"The Count's right it's time to go Jess" Malik stated as he walked out of the room. Jess walked over to Vlad and hugged him.

"Thanks for all your help, I won't forget it".

"No problem, just don't let Malik hurt you okay?"

Jess smiled "Don't worry we'll be fine. See you Vlad" she left to join Malik outside.

As she walked towards the front door she could see Malik stood looking up at the stars. She stopped walking and just stared at him for a moment. The moon was casting silvery shadows over his studded leather jacket that she loved to see him wearing. The wind was gently blowing his messy brown hair.

Sensing she was behind him, Malik turned around to see her standing in the doorway. He gave her his wicked grin that lit up his dark eyes and held out his hand. She walked towards him slowly and laced her fingers through his feeling her undead heart flutter.

"Ready?" he said.

"Always" she smiled. Malik squeezed her hand and they sped off back into the night.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I would like to proudly announce that this story is now complete!**

 **Thank you to everyone that has read it and who has left helpful reviews :)**


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